Disneyland, Half Moon Bay, Newport Beach, Frazier Park, Burbank

Over the years, October has become more of one of my favorite months. It's a time where dressing up in a costume and eating lots of candy is acceptable. I have many fond memories celebrating Halloween with my sister Anh and my brother Phong growing up. Our festivities never had much glitz and glamour, but we somehow managed to have lots of fun, and have lots of laughs. 

Every year, we would go to the local grocery store and buy a pumpkin to carve. We hardly ever went to the pumpkin patches to get our pumpkins because my Mom thought it wasn't very cost effective. In any case, it really didn't matter where we got our pumpkins, as long as everyone had one to call their own. Every pumpkin I've had since, whether it was from the grocery store or the pumpkin patch, has always been cherished. 

The three of us would line the kitchen floor with newspaper, and then use the normal kitchen knives to carve our pumpkins. In retrospect, this probably wasn't the safest thing to use, but this was before pumpkin carving kits became popular. All of us still have our fingers intact, so no harm no foul right? Anh was very skilled carving with a kitchen knife; her designs were so creative, and her pumpkins looked really amazing. On the other hand, my pumpkins tended to be disproportionate and looked disfigured. I've gotten much better at carving through the years (with the help of Pumpkin Masters of course) so I think I'd give Anh a run for her money now. 

Afterwards, we would get dressed in our Halloween costumes. Our parents didn't buy us new Halloween costumes every year, and normally we just used the same one until we outgrew it. If I remember right, I believe I had the same witch costume for at least 5 years! We definitely wanted new costumes, but we assumed that everyone else wore the same one every year too so it wasn't that big of a deal. You can imagine my disappointment when I found out that most children have new costumes every year. Boy, were we young and naive. 

Halloween 1999. 

Next, we would grab our pillowcases and then go trick-o-treating around the neighborhood. Our neighborhood had lots of kids so it was really exciting seeing everyone out. Most of our neighbors gave out candy, and even though we never filled our pillowcases to the top, we always hoped that the next year would be different. When we were done trick-o-treating, we would pour our candy out into the living room and separate our favorites, and trade candy with each other. My favorites were always the chocolates, and to this day, it still is, especially dark chocolate. 

I absolutely love October, and these memories will always be close to my heart. I hope everyone had a spooktacular Halloween!

Disneyland, Anaheim, CA

Besties in front of Disneyland Railroad. 

In Town Square, there's an enormous 12 foot tall Micky Mouse

jack-o-lantern complete with pumpkin ears. So cute!

Zero clearly loves me more than Jamie. 

Double trouble at Sleep Beauty's Castle. 

Jack Skellington from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas 

gave the Haunted Mansion a Christmas makeover.

I couldn't resist having a chocolate frozen banana. 

Splash Mountain is based off the Disney film Song of the South. 

The 53 foot drop was terrifying!

It was mesmerizing watching Micky's Soundsational Parade. 

My video games skills were finally put to good use.

Lemos Farm, Half Moon Bay, CA

Wait, that's not Kristine's hand, that's Kylie!

Pumpkin paradise. 

Phong catching up on his sleep.

David and Kylie photobombing. 

Airing out my smelly shoe. Phong is not amused!

43rd Annual Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival, Half Moon Bay, CA

The Pumpkin Festival was created by the Main Street Committee for 

Beautification in 1970 as a means for restoring historic downtown Half Moon Bay. 

Looking good Kristine!

The pumpkin ice cream was divine.

The pumpkin mac 'n' cheese was flavored with pumpkin pie spices and topped with pumpkin seeds. 

Farmer Mike is "The Picasso of Pumpkin Carvers."

Half Moon Bay's Great Pumpkin is a mosaic sculpture by artist Pester Hazel. 

It measures 11 ft high, 12 ft long, and weighs 10,000 pounds. 

Repetto's Pumpkins, Half Moon Bay, CA

Phong loves pun-kins. 

Ahoy, Mateys!

I'm not sure what Kylie is trying to do, but she seems to be having lots of fun. 

Newport Beach, CA

Gauchos reunited!

Mary Poppins, librarian, bar maiden, Alice in Wonderland, and the Fox 

are all ready for a ladies night on the town. 

The ultimate photo booth fun. 

Frazier Park, CA

Flower power. 

Watcha gonna do when they come for you?

Don't mess with Natasha!

 Burbank, CA

 

It's time to get down to pumpkin carving business. 

After a few hours, our mission was accomplished.

We're so talented!

Forneris Farms, Mission Hills, CA

In order to find the way out of the 4 acre corn maze, we had to solve silly cornundrum riddles.

We're so corny. 

What an awesome pumpkin bounce house!

I like the strong and silent type.

There were lots of cool variety of pumpkins. 

Baths are overrated anyways. 

The sunflowers were the size of my head. 

Tiburon, San Jose Municipal Rose Garden, Mission Peak, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass

I never realized how much work goes into maintaining a blog, and I have to commend all those bloggers out there. When I first started my blog, I had lots of free time, but lately, I haven't had as much time as I'd like to keep up with it. In addition to the usual work and gym, I've been putting more of my efforts into spending time with my family, and friends. It sure doesn't help that I have a cold now, so perhaps it's fate's way of telling me to slow down. Who knows?

Last week I had my first of many upcoming doctor appointments. I met with my Radiation Oncologist, and she was very pleased with my progress. She commented on my weight loss and muscle gain, and said that "I looked fantastic and I should continue to do what I'm currently doing." Since I rely on my right leg to compensate for my weaker left leg, the one suggestion she had was for me to incorporate yoga into my routine to help with my strength and balance. If anyone can recommend of any yoga studios, I'd be really grateful.

It's been a very long and tough journey to get to where I am right now. A year ago I was unable to walk a block without getting winded, but now I can do a 14 mile hike. My secret is having a strong support system; people that believe in me and encourage me to continue when I don't think it's possible.

There's one memory that really stands out when I completely lost hope and wanted to give up, but kept on going because of my support system. Surprisingly, it wasn't while I was at the hospital, but 2 months after I had finished chemo. It was December 2012, and Andrew was relocating to California, and we were doing a road trip from Houston, Texas. We had stopped by the Grand Canyon, and it happened to be the first snow of the season. Both of us were not prepared for the snow. We had no waterproof clothes or shoes, let alone snow gear, but we were feeling adventurous and determined to hike through the 6 inches of snow.

Going into the Canyon via the Bright Angel Trail was breathtaking. After 1.5 miles into it, Andrew suggested that we head back. Part of me felt that I had the strength to do more, but I realized that Andrew had a better grasp of the environment. If there's a time where I'm glad that I listened to him, it was definitely then.

Heading back to the rim of the Canyon was absolutely miserable. My clothes and shoes were completely soaked, my heels were blistered, and I was so cold and tired. Every time I looked up, it didn't seem like we were getting any closer. I started crying, and telling Andrew that it was impossible, and that I couldn't go on. In retrospect, I probably was being a bit melodramatic considering it was only 1.5 miles back. In any case, he told me not to concentrate on the end goal, but rather on the next step. Even though I told him I couldn't take another step, I did. After a few thousand steps (and lots of whining and complaining), I had finally reached the top of the Canyon. Did I mention that Andrew has the patience of a saint?

I felt like a million bucks after reaching the top!

I'm glad that Andrew believed in me when I didn't believe in myself, and motivated me to go on when I didn't think I could or else I could have ended up a frozen popsicle! It's important to surround yourself with positive people that will be there to support you in life, but also challenge you to become a better version of yourself.

I hope you enjoy the pictures. More to come soon!

San Francisco City Hall

San Francisco City Hall boasts magnificent Beaux-Arts buildings. The front of city hall
covers morethan 495,000 ft2 (46,000 m2), and its dome stands 307.5 ft (93.7 m) tall.

Girls just want to have fun!

Tiburon, Marin County, CA

Tiburon was originally named "Punta de Tiburon" 

(Shark Point) by Spanish explorers in 1775. 

Cuties!

Anchors aweigh.

San Jose Municipal Rose Garden

Architect John McLaren (designer of the Golden Gate Park), developed the San Jose Municipal
Rose Garden in the early 1930s. The world class garden contains approximately 4,000 rosebushes. 

Before this picture was taken, my clumsy self tripped and fell into the rosebush. Oops! 

Kim looking classy.

Mission Peak, Fremont CA (5.6 miles; 3 hours; 2200 ft elevation gain)

Car selfie!

Annie hiding in the shade. What a disappointment!

Both of us finally made it to the top. 

Mission Peak (and Annie) stands at the highest point of 2,517 ft. 

Sibling bonding time. 

The cows may graze all the way up to the summit. 

Be careful where you step.

I'm sure having to carry heavy paragliding equipment up was worth the view.

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (HSB) Festival 2013, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

HSB is an annual free and non-commerical music festival subsidized by venture capitalist Warren

Hellman. More than 750,000 people attended the three-day event showcasing almost 100 musical acts.

At the Banjo Stage, Steve Martin & Steep Canyon Rangers featuring Edie Brickell. 

It was a nice and sunny day.

Look who we ran into? Francie and Caroline!

The random Irish guys were very entertaining. They definitely had a few too many.

"When is that darn thing gonna set?!"

Relay for Life, San Francisco Zoo, Lands End, Angel Island, Ghirardelli Square

Summer is over. Fall has officially begun. For this being my first summer where I'm healthy enough to have fun and travel since my diagnosis in February 2011, I have to say, it exceeded my expectations. It was great having new adventures with wonderful friends and loving family. The beautiful sunny California weather was definitely the cherry on top! 

Having my health taken away from me, and having to face death will have an everlasting effect on my life. I don't deny that there are still lots of emotional sadness, fear, anger and guilt that I have to resolve, but at the same token, there's a sense of liberation. 

Firstly, I stopped going through the motions of life, and started living. Oftentimes, I would postpone plans to visit friends and go traveling. Something seem to always come up; whether it was school, work, or lack of money. I've come to realize that these obstacles will always be a part of life, and I have to take responsibility and stop making excuses for not being able to live the life I want to live. If I want something, I have to make it happen. No one else can do it for me. 

Secondly, I worry less about living up to people's expectations. Pleasing people is very exhausting work, and in the end, it wasn't satisfying for me at all. I spent too much time doing things that I didn't want to do because I didn't have the courage to say no. The only person I can be is myself, and hopefully it'll be enough. 

Third, I've become more conscious about how I spend my time. I try not to waste the time I have arguing and fighting with my loved ones. Nothing is ever that important, and it's better to take a step back, realize what's happening, and give the people I love the benefit of the doubt. Everyone deserves a chance to be heard, and it's best to keep an open mind and listen.

Lastly, I've accepted that suffering and pain are a part of life. I realize that it's really pointless in spending time worrying about things that are out of my control, and fearing for the worst, because bad things will happen, and nothing that I do will ever prepare me for it. The only thing I can do is to deal with it when it does come. 

Live in the present. Enjoy life!

Oakland Relay For Life (In Memory of Dr. Charles A. Koller)

Our team, Rising Stars, raised $10,828 and we were the top fundraising team at the event!

The money raised is used for research and to support those battling cancer.

The Rising Stars campsite offered free fruit and veggies.

It ended up being a being a big hit with all the walkers!

Our team walked for 24 hours with a combined total of 130,600 steps (61.6 miles).

Our team purchased about 90 luminarias in memory and in honor of our team's

and our sponsors' friends and family. They were lit around the course all 

night long to remind us of the people we were walking for.   

San Francisco Zoo

Lemurs are native to the the African island of Madagascar, and some tiny neighboring islands. 

They have power scent glands which they use to communicate and mark their territories. 

During the mating season, male lemurs battle for dominance by trying to outstink each other!

Lemurs having fun sunbathing. Aren't they so cute? 

The Varecia variegata species do sure do look like skunks though.

I'm a butterfly!

Giraffes browse treetops with its 6-foot neck, and plucks leaves with its 18-inch tongue. 

Our crazy curly hair.

    

Patas monkeys are the fastest primate species. Their body shape is similar to that of a 

greyhound, with long limbs, narrow body, and prominent rib cage. The dominant adult 

male of the group acts as a lookout. It looks like he's really enjoying his job!

I couldn't end the day without a visit to the petting zoo.

Lands End

Shoji modeling at San Francisco's westernmost point, Lands End.

It's where all of land ends and the great Pacific Ocean begins.

In 1894, Adoph Suturo developed the amazing Sutro Baths. The swimming facility 

had the capacity of 10,000 people, and offered 20,000 bathing suits, and 

40,000 towels for rent. The Pacific Ocean high tides could fill the 1.7 

million gallons of water required for all the pools in just one hour. 

Due to the Great Depression, reduced public transportation, and new public health codes, the 

Baths became less popular. The concrete ruins are all that remains of the grand Sutro Baths.

Someone decided to have a photo shoot in Sutro Baths. This probably 

wasn't the smartest idea as the water looked very unsanitary!

The beautiful Pacific Ocean.

Angel Island State Park

For nearly 100 years, from the Civil War to the Cold War, the federal 

government used Angel Island's strategic location for military 

bases, a quarantine station, and an immigration station. 

From 1910 to 1940, the United States Immigration Station (USIS), nicknamed "the Guardian 

of the Western Gate," processed nearly a million immigrants from more than 80 countries.

Ring-a-Ding-Ding!

Mini UCSB Reunion. What a small world running into Alvin at Angel Island!

Ghirardelli Square

Domingo Ghirardelli immigrated from his homeland of Italy to the United States during the 

California Gold Rush. In 1852, he created the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, and its 

trademark lights continue to welcome ships passing through Golden Gate today.

Getting ready to devour the Expresso Escape. It had two scoops of espresso chip 

ice cream, freshly homemade dark chocolate hot fudge, whipped cream, and 

an Intense Dark Twilight Delight 72% chocolate. It was sinfully delicious!